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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. key — the most important part
  7. land — a country
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ground — crushed
  11. key — in music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. present — there
  17. ground — a position
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. key — for a lock
  20. land — ground
  21. ground — the earth
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com